Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 18) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his administration is prepared to handle the impact of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that shook southern Mindanao, even as he is out of the country for an official trip.
In a media interview in San Francisco, California on Saturday (PH time), the chief executive said he is being updated on the powerful quake that struck off Sarangani in Davao Occidental on Friday afternoon.
At least seven are feared dead, while the shaking has caused damage to establishments in affected areas. Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded since.
“I’m happy to be able to say that the government agencies do not need directives from me anymore,” Marcos told reporters. “They know what to do… Nagre-report sila sa akin kung ano ba talagang nangyari [They give me reports on what happened] and what are the initial reports.”
Asked if he sees the need to cut his trip short, he said he will go home “if there’s something that needs to be done that cannot be done by anybody but myself.”
“But as I said, alam na nila ang gagawin [they know what to do],” Marcos added. “That’s my hope, we tried to organize the government in such a way that these are standard operating procedures already. You don’t have to question what do we do next, nakasulat na lahat ‘yan [those are already listed].”
While the president is away, Vice President Sara Duterte — who is from the Davao region — led the full council meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to discuss the government’s earthquake response.
READ: VP Duterte calls for calm after Mindanao quake
The Department of Social Welfare and Development has assured aid for the victims, including monetary assistance.
Marcos is scheduled to fly back to Manila on Monday, Nov. 20, after a week-long trip to the US.
He arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday (PH time) for the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting and flew to Los Angeles on Saturday (PH time), where he will meet with business leaders and the Filipino community there.
